競技かるたの魅力を広めたまんが

[From October Issue 2014]

Chihayafuru
“Chihayafuru” is the story of a high school girl who becomes passionate about “competitive karuta.” This competition utilizes traditional Hyakunin Isshu playing cards. Selected in the Kamakura era by the court aristocrat FUJIWARA no Teika, a set of Hyakunin Isshu playing cards is a collection of the 100 best waka (Japanese poems) written between the Asuka era (sixth to eighth centuries) and the Kamakura era (twelfth to fourteenth centuries). The set is called Hyakunin (one hundred people) Isshu (one poem) because one poem was chosen from each poet.
There are two kinds of karuta sets: yomifuda (reading cards) and torifuda (playing cards). Torifuda only have the shimonoku (the second half of the poem) written on them. In competitive karuta, players compete for torifuda. If they can touch a playing card in their opponent’s territory, they can pass a playing card in from their territory to the opponent’s territory. Players compete to eliminate the playing cards in their home territory as fast as possible. It’s a taxing “sport” that requires quick thinking and reactions, since players need to immediately touch the torifuda when the first half of the poem – which is not written on the torifuda – is read out. It is generally played one-on-one but there are also individual and team competitions.
The story begins when Chihaya, the main character, is in sixth grade. She is proud of her beautiful older sister, for whom she has hopes of one day winning a Japanese beauty pageant. However, Arata, a new student at her school, tells her that this is not a true ambition as she isn’t aspiring for something herself. Arata’s own ambition is to become a top “meijin” (master) of competitive karuta.
In fact, having won the title of meijin seven times in a row, Arata’s grandfather was an “eisei meijin” (grand master in perpetuity).” Arata has also demonstrated that he’s an able player by winning the national championships each year for his age group from first grade to fifth grade. Inspired by Arata, Chihaya begins to nurse ambitions of becoming queen (top) in the women’s division. She gets her bosom buddy Taichi involved and the three begin to improve on entering the local competitive karuta club. However, after they graduate from elementary school the threesome is broken up when Arata returns to Fukui Prefecture and Taichi enters a private junior high school.
The story jumps forward four years. Chihaya and Taichi are reunited on entering the same high school. Though the two of them have distanced themselves from karuta during their junior high school years, they start up a karuta club at their high school. Chihaya’s interest in the meaning of these Japanese poems grows. In addition, by strategizing together as a unit, she begins to reflect on what it means to take a card as a team.
Meanwhile, Chihaya tries to persuade Arata, who had given up competitive karuta, to come back to the karuta world. Because Taichi has taken care of Chihaya since their elementary school days and because Arata becomes aware that Chihaya is a worthy rival, the relationship between the three develops a passionate side.
Since Hyakunin Isshu is often dealt with in classrooms, most Japanese are familiar with it, but competitive karuta was not so well known. Thanks to this comic, the popularity of competitive karuta has dramatically increased and the numbers of competitors has also increased.
Text: ICHIMURA Masayo

[2014年10月号掲載記事]

ちはやふる

「ちはやふる」は「競技かるた」に熱中する女子高校生の物語です。競技かるたとは、百人一首を使った競技です。百人一首は飛鳥時代(6~8世紀)から鎌倉時代(12~14世紀)に詠まれた和歌の中から鎌倉時代の公家、藤原定家が優れた100首を選んだものです。ひとりの詠み手につき一首なので百人一首と呼ばれます。

かるたには読み札と取り札の2種類があります。取り札には下の句しか書かれていません。競技かるたでは取り札を取ります。敵陣の札を取ると自陣の札を一枚敵陣に渡します。自陣の札をいかに早くゼロにするかを競います。書かれていない上の句が読まれたらすぐに反射して取らなくてはならないので、頭脳と肉体の両方をハードに使う「スポーツ」です。1対1で対戦しますが個人戦と団体戦があります。

物語の始まりでは主人公の千早は小学6年生です。美人の姉が自慢で、夢は彼女がミスコンで日本一になることでした。しかし、転校生の新から自分のことでないと夢にしてはいけないと言われます。新の夢は競技かるたでトップの「名人」になることでした。

新の祖父は7回連続で名人になったことのある永世名人でした。新も小学1年から5年まで毎年学年別で全国優勝した実力の持ち主です。新に刺激され、千早も女性のトップであるクイーンになることを意識し始めます。幼なじみの太一も巻き込み、3人は地元の競技かるたの会に入り腕を上げていきます。ところが小学校卒業後、新は福井県に戻り太一も私立の中学校に進むことになり3人はバラバラになってしまいます。

物語はそれから4年後に。千早と太一は同じ高校に入学し再会を果たします。2人とも中学時代はかるたから距離を置いていましたが、高校ではかるた部を立ち上げます。千早は和歌の内容にも興味を持ち始めます。また団体戦での戦い方を通じて、みんなで札を取っていくことの意味を考えるようにもなります。

一方で千早は、競技かるたをやめてしまっていた新にまたかるたの世界に戻ってほしいと働きかけます。小学生の頃から千早を気にかけてきた太一、かるたの好敵手として千早の存在が大きくなっていく新。3人の関係は恋愛面でも発展しそうです。

百人一首は学校の授業で取り上げられることも多く、ほとんどの日本人が知っていますが、競技かるたはあまり知られていませんでした。この作品で競技かるたの知名度が一気に高まり、競技人口も増えました。

文:市村雅代

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